Well, that's one way to make the scam work...
Posted on 11/27/2005 6:45:58 PM PST by LNewman
On paper, it appears Hanani Medina is doing quite well.
The year-end tax documents filed by his employer say the Honduran immigrant was paid $103,770.55 last year. Not bad for a man who arrived in the United States just eight years ago, starting off as a hotel worker before becoming a building framer.
But Medina did not really make all that money. Instead, he contends, he was a conduit for his employer, Olympic Painting & Roofing, which made payments through Medina, who was on the books, to a dozen other employees who were not. Time sheets and copies of checks reviewed by the Globe show that the owner of Olympic, George Vasiliades, gave Medina checks to cover the whole team's wages. Medina then wrote personal checks to the workers he oversaw, some of whom he says were undocumented immigrants, and none of whom, he added, are in the company's official records.
Because Olympic classified Medina as a self-employed contractor, the men he supervised effectively became Medina's employees. This allowed Olympic to avoid large workers' compensation insurance bills and Social Security and other taxes.
This is the kind of arrangement upon which the construction industry in Massachusetts has become dependent, say workers, labor union officials, and immigration policy analysts. As companies try to cash in on the development boom, they are filling their workforces with cheap labor -- often immigrants who will work for half the union rate -- and classifying those workers who are on the books as independent contractors rather than employees. This allows them to withstand IRS scrutiny and frees them of the financial, legal, and safety responsibilities that burden employers who operate aboveboard.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
*PING*!
Gee...and weren't we all commenting on Dane's idiocy on another thread regarding a similar issue?
Need some more PROOF Dane?
So THIS is the "invisible hand" that Dane and the OBL morons love to rely on...
Did i read that right?Medina is now making $37 hour with benefits as a member of the union.I would think this type of illegal activity would have been caught sooner.Wonder if Teddy is gonna get involved?
--"Need some more PROOF Dane?"
There is no proof or fact that isn't routinely ignored by the OBL.
BLECHHHHHHHH *gagging sounds as more good news caps off the night*
:)
ping
Well, that's one way to make the scam work...
No mention in the story that 15.3% FICA tax is not being paid on this money either. Billions are not being collected to shore up the shaky Social Security/Medicare situation.
Well Gol-l-l-lie!
The raping of America continues, the border remains open, and we are forced to pay the bills. Our kids and grandkids will continue to pay the bills until we elect a President who will strongly enforce existing immigration laws.
Around here, in Virginia, I'm told they are being paid $15 per hour cash. We are definitely losing a lot of social security payments!
"And don't get me wrong, but white people are never going to work for $5 an hour doing roofing."
I don't think blacks or Hispanics are doing roofing for $5 an hour either. I'd like to make the $10 to $15 an hour those Hispanics make with no taxes.
ARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!
As Charlie Brown might say.
At least these illegalities are starting to be exposed.
"I'd like to make the $10 to $15 an hour those Hispanics make with no taxes."
Yeah, me too. Of course, I'm not suited for this type of work. Hubby has demoted me to clean-up crew only!
But I'd like to be stuffing the cash-o-la in my pocket, no taxes, no insurance costs, nothing. And then when I'm sick, when I have a problem, just go cry poor mouth at the hospital, etc.
A great deal, of course, until I break my back falling off a ladder and find out that "no insurance" thing isn't such a good deal after all.
This stuff is a joke and needs to end.
Exactly the whole system, a system that puts major roadblocks on people trying to do good things, such as build buildings.
Workmens comp is a joke also, filled with fraud and abuse by American born workers also.
I just find it interesting that the virulent anti-immigrant people are always for punishing the people who do good(such as contractors who build things) and are silent about the confiscatory tax system, excessive work regulations, the ponzi scheme that is going to collapse called social security, corrupt unions, etc.etc.
Nope it always seems their animus is against the guy who actually takes the financial risk and their animus towards business is almost akin to what hillary would say, IMO.
I believe this is a little bit misleading...Union Carpenters don't make 37 bucks per hour on the check...This would be including benefits which consists of workman's comp, unemployment benefits, insurance, etc...
Although non union contractors charge the same as union contractors (union contractors have to compete with the non union), the non union workers get paid less...The larger profit goes to non union contractors...
But now, many of these non union contractors are really raking it in by hiring illegals...No taxes are paid and the former workers head to the welfare office...And the Federal deficit hits a trillion dollars...
There is a place for the scenario that this article describes...Shingle roofing is a relatively low skilled job...There are untold numbers of people in the country that can't afford to pay a contractor a hundred bucks for every square foot of shingles that go onto their roofs (of which 60-75% is labor cost)...
These jobs put food on the table for countless Americans and are done as part time or weekend work...
It would appear the extortionists in the building trades unions are feeling the pinch of competition.
Without cheap labor our hi-tech economy would crumble. sarcasm intended
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